An Unexpected Interception

Xiao He stepped forward, picked Johnny up from the ground, threw him into the trunk of the car, and then got back in and continued driving, pretending nothing had happened. This guy's ability was actually quite troublesome; while there was a limit to the number of Clone, there was no limit to the number of times he could create them. He was arguably one of the stronger enemies Xiao He had encountered so far.

Fortunately, after meeting Johnny, they did not encounter any more enemies and successfully reached D-Mascus.

However, Johnny's identity is a crucial point, and it seems to hold many secrets.

"When I investigated his identity, I found out he was already dead," Ye Wanqing explained, clutching her phone. "Five years ago, he was a member of the M Country Marine Corps, but an incident five years ago sealed his death."

"What happened?" Xiao He asked curiously, leaning closer to Ye Wanqing and looking at her phone. Ye Wanqing glanced at him, then couldn't resist giving him a quick peck on the cheek. But then she remembered there were other people in the car, and immediately covered her face in embarrassment, muttering, "Look for yourself, it's on my phone..."

Xiao He grabbed Ye Wanqing's phone and checked it, discovering that this girl was actually a "hero".

This man's full name Johnny Lydon, a former Marine Corps who had served the country many times and was even awarded a medal by the previous president. However, he was killed in a hostage rescue mission, and his entire team perished.

That's what they say, but since Johnny is here now, it means he obviously didn't die in that mission. Only he knows what happened, and it's now unclear which faction he represents.

Upon returning to D-Mascus, Cui Man began negotiations with the diplomats from X-lia.

"Damn it, that despicable guy..." Yue Feng muttered, rubbing the wound on his back. "All he ever does is attack from behind. If he's so tough, why doesn't he fight me head-on?"

"You're so stupid, can't you be a little more flexible?" Xiao He rolled his eyes and said.

"Hmph, a man should fight head-on." Yue Feng crossed his arms and let out a loud snort. "So what if you're a pawn? A pawn is the epitome of manly romance! No retreat, no regrets, and the ability to sacrifice yourself decisively to protect others when necessary. Compared to the 'general' hiding in the back, the pawn's fighting style is much cooler!"

"You're not wrong," Xiao He shrugged. "The problem is, if you can't win, it's all for nothing."

"Tsk..." Yue Feng spat in dissatisfaction, clearly offended.

"Practice more, learn to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses," Xiao He replied. "For example, how about learning the technique of a quick turn?"

"Hmm? This seems... interesting." Yue Feng pondered, resting his chin on his hand. "So, that guy today seemed to have some pretty good skills, using a slide tackle to turn quickly... This method suits my Superpower quite well."

Qin Weize, standing to the side, looked dejected. "This time... I couldn't help at all again."

"Your self-protection awareness is too weak. Protect yourself first, then protect others." Xiao He scolded with dissatisfaction, thinking to himself: After all, you are an important Trigger for me, and a rather useful one at that.

"Yes..." Qin Weize nodded.

Cui Man stepped forward and spoke with the embassy staff, but did not mention Johnny's matter. According to international law, people arrested abroad should be handed over to that country for processing, but that is only in theory.

As long as nobody knows, that's fine.

"How about it? Can you do it?" Cui Man asked, arms crossed.

"Yes, that's fine." An Xiuru said, placing her hand on Johnny's body and then stuffing him into the suitcase. Johnny's body seemed to have turned into clay, able to be folded and crossed at will, and was forcibly stuffed into a small suitcase.

"Leave an opening to let in air, so he doesn't suffocate. We can release him once we're on the plane." Cui Man nodded in satisfaction.

"Will this... pass through security?" Xiao He asked hesitantly. Cui Man patted his head. "Silly boy, we're on an evacuation mission. This is a special circumstance, and since you're high-ranking diplomatic personnel, you don't need to go through security at this time."

As Cui Man had said, they boarded the evacuation plane sent by their country along with the diplomats and took off smoothly, leaving the country. Xiao He only breathed a sigh of relief after the plane was halfway up the plane.

But when they "pooped" Johnny out of the suitcase, they discovered that Johnny was already awake.

An Xiuru did not restore his body. Johnny is currently unable to move because his bones cannot support his weight, and he can only lie limp on the ground. He will be restored to his original state after he is taken back to prison.

"Actually, I know you," Johnny said, turning to Xiao He. "Want my advice? While you're still strong, get rid of this title."

"Why?" Xiao He asked curiously.

"Do you think those people are looking for a strongman or a hero?" Johnny sneered. "The answer is, a strongman."

Xiao He raised an eyebrow, seemingly sensing that Johnny wanted to express something to him, so he didn't interrupt.

Johnny continued, "They love you and cheer for you now because you're still strong, but the day you fail and can no longer defend them, they'll kick you aside without hesitation, blame you, complain about you, and curse you."

"..." Xiao He was silent for a moment, then turned to Cui Man and asked, "What did he just say? He spoke too fast, I didn't understand."

"Are you talking about the incident where you 'died'?" Cui Man asked Johnny, arms crossed.

"Hmph, I used to be a hero. I saved dozens of lives, killed hundreds of enemies, and I never failed. So they cheered for me, presented me with flowers, and even the president personally pinned a medal on me," Johnny sneered. "But just one failure, the death of a hostage, the sacrifice of my team to keep me alive... guess what awaits me?"

At this point, Johnny spat, "The media's overwhelming condemnation, the hostages' families' cruel questioning, even the military chose to shift all the blame onto us. From hero to pariah, it only takes one failure. So the military simply had me 'die' in that battle, because dead people don't bear responsibility, and that's how I became a walking corpse."

Johnny turned to Xiao He again and questioned, "So, tell me, do they need 'heroes' or 'strongmen'?"

Xiao He frowned, pondered for a long time, and then sighed, "Alas, this won't do. I need to practice my English more. I can't understand 80% of what he's saying."

"That's your country," Cui Man replied casually, crossing her legs. "In our country, even in a sorry state, we cheer for our heroes. Even if they don't always win, we still comfort them. Because our heroes never give up. Even after experiencing failure and setbacks, they always get back up and continue, and eventually achieve victory."

With that, Cui Man snorted coldly, "So, do you understand the difference between us and you? Your 'hero' is a specific person or group, while our 'hero' is a concept. In our country, heroes are not just Mutant with Superpower, but also doctors, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, anyone who stands up for others is a hero."

Johnny fell silent for a moment before replying, "I'd like to see how your people react when your heroes suffer defeat. Will the 'heroes' be able to hold on then?"

After saying that, Johnny fell silent.

Cui Man didn't press further, deciding to wait until they got back to proceed with the next step.

"Old Xiao, I'm sleepy..." Ye Wanqing said, rubbing her eyes. Xiao He nuzzled against her head, "Lean on me and sleep for a while. It's been over ten hours..."

The journey was mostly spent on the road; the actual mission itself took less than three hours, but the round trip by plane took sixteen hours. It was normal for Ye Wanqing to feel tired, but Xiao He wasn't particularly sleepy.

"Sister Man, after we get back, it will be December 23rd, right?" Xiao He asked, checking the time.

"Yeah, we're going to Old Xie's house to celebrate on the 24th," Cui Man yawned and complained. "It's really unavoidable to have a mission like this at a time like this..." Cui Man glanced at Liang Bin beside her and sighed, "Luckily, we brought him back safely, otherwise it might have taken even longer. And we also managed to grab a pretty good Trigger ..."

As they were chatting, Xiao He suddenly noticed what appeared to be a huge shadow in the clouds below.

Xiao He glanced at it curiously, and was immediately startled. He rubbed his eyes and looked again: he wasn't mistaken.

In the clouds was a monster about the size of an airplane, roughly resembling a lion, but with bat wings on its back, a goat's head in the center of its spine, and a snake's tail.

This monster is called Chimera. It's so famous that even Xiao He knew about it, and it has appeared in multiple games.

"Sister Man!" Xiao He called out to Cui Man. Cui Man snapped out of her daze, glanced out the window, and immediately realized what was happening. She then turned to Ye Wanqing and instructed, "White Marsh, change this thing's name as soon as possible. Yinglong, you come with me!"

Xiao He responded and followed Cui Man to the cockpit. At this moment, the pilot had not yet noticed a huge creature rapidly approaching from below.

"Quickly, adjust the flight path!" Cui Man patted the pilot on the shoulder and urged.

"Sir, that's impossible. Each flight has a fixed route. Changing it without authorization could lead to a collision with other flights," the pilot said, looking troubled.

"Change course before you crash! You're so stubborn! There's a monster approaching outside!" Cui Man said irritably. The pilot looked at the instrument panel, puzzled, and muttered, "But, it's not showing up on the instruments..."

Cui Man grabbed the driver's head and turned him towards the approaching giant monster outside the window. "Now what!?"

The pilot shuddered in fright and immediately began adjusting the flight path, trying to get away from the monster.

Cui Man then grabbed Xiao He and pushed him in front of the driver, asking, "Is there any way to get him out of here?"

"Going outside will cause an imbalance in internal air pressure, which could lead to instability and a crash!" the pilot said nervously. Clearly, this was his first time encountering such a situation, and he was somewhat panicked. Xiao He could understand: after all, how many pilots in their lifetime would encounter a mythical monster hundreds of meters long following them during flight?

"However, exiting through the luggage compartment shouldn't have too much of an impact," the pilot replied, then glanced at Xiao He. "It's just... we're currently at an altitude of over 8,000 meters, the outside temperature is very low, and the air is very thin..."

"Just open it and that's it!" Cui Man interrupted him anxiously, then pulled Xiao He towards the luggage compartment below.

"Wanqing, have you changed your name?" Cui Man asked as they walked. "Yes, I'll change it back as soon as Xiao He takes care of it!"

The two went down to the lowest cargo hold at the rear of the plane. Because this was a special operation, the cargo hold was empty. Cui Man instructed Xiao He, "You can get out after the cabin opens. I'll seal the upper doors to prevent air pressure from affecting the interior of the plane. The plane will shake a bit, but it will stabilize soon."

Xiao He nodded, and Cui Man returned to the upper level and closed the cabin door. At that moment, the cabin door opened as well.

Because the internal air pressure is much greater than the external air pressure, a powerful suction force comes from the outside.

However, the name "Chimera" has been changed, so Xiao He has the power to defeat Chimera, and this amount of air current is nothing to him.

Standing seven or eight thousand meters in the air, looking down was a bit terrifying, but Xiao He was used to this tension; in fact, he quite enjoyed it. He loved flying, and the wind rushing past him gave him a sense of freedom.

Xiao He took a deep breath and suddenly jumped out of the cabin door, naturally floating in mid-air.

The giant beast had now reached an altitude similar to that of an airplane and was approaching. Only then did Xiao He realize how insignificant he was in front of it; the monster could swallow him whole with a single open mouth.

"What an exciting life I've lived! I've seen so many things that others haven't," Xiao He said with a self-deprecating laugh.

After saying that, Xiao He flew up and grabbed the monster's tail, but its tail was a python that was almost as thick as a person. As soon as Xiao He grabbed the tail, the python pounced on him.

Xiao He punched the snake's head directly. With a muffled thud, the huge snake head was hit and let out a sharp hiss before flying away.

However, Xiao He's attack also successfully attracted the attention of the Chimera. The monster turned its head and stared at him, then opened its mouth and spat out a large amount of flames. Xiao He felt a chill in his chest, and when he exhaled, it formed a white mist in front of him.

In an instant, Xiao He understood what he had to do. He took a deep breath and then exhaled forcefully towards the flames.

A wave of icy air clashed with the flames, instantly extinguishing them, and then swiftly pounced on the Chimera's lion head.

The Chimera roared, its enormous wings flapping as it dodged the freezing air Xiao He exhaled. However, its body was so large that it appeared clumsy, Xiao He seized the opportunity to fly towards the Chimera's head.

Xiao He could actually kill the monster right now, but he couldn't. He was over 8,000 meters in the air, and his abilities would quickly disappear after defeating the Chimera, causing him to fall. Therefore, he had to take the Chimera to lower airspace to defeat it. With that thought, Xiao He landed on the goat's head on the Chimera's back.

"Hiss!" A hissing roar came from behind, and the snake's head at the end turned menacingly towards Xiao He, spewing out a stream of purple poisonous gas. The gas was sour and foul-smelling, causing Xiao He to cough, but he possessed the Miracle Factor, rendering the poison ineffective against him.

"You have a foul mouth!" Xiao He said irritably, punching the goat on the head.

Although the Chimera has three heads, it shares one body, so hitting it will also hurt the other heads. As a result, the Chimera fell rapidly through the air for a distance before barely stopping.

"Oh? I've got a good idea." Xiao He raised an eyebrow, lightly jumped onto the lion's head, and punched it down.

The lion roared in pain, then plummeted another distance. Xiao He turned back and punched the snake head on its tail. In this way, each head took turns being punched, and the giant monster continued to fall downwards.

Hitting only one head might destroy it, but hitting it repeatedly will keep it falling. It's just a pity for this legendary monster, which is now like a drum set, being hit here and there.

However, after Xiao He came several times, the Chimera became smarter and seemed to know that Xiao He wanted it to land, so it deliberately flew lower to avoid being hit.

Xiao He then smiled with satisfaction, "Isn't this perfect? Just like this."

Soon, the sea below came into view. Seeing that the altitude was about right, Xiao He patted the lion's head and laughed, "Good boy... but I'm still sorry, if you were Little One, maybe I would adopt you."

After saying this, Xiao He clenched his fists and slammed them hard on the lion's head. Then, with a light leap, he delivered a flying kick to the head of the goat on his back. He then stepped on the goat's head and jumped up to deliver an uppercut to the snake's chin.

These three blows knocked out all three of the Chimera's heads, rendering the mythical monster unconscious and causing it to plummet towards the sea. However, before its massive body could even touch the water, it turned into black smoke and vanished.

"This is..." Xiao He muttered to himself in surprise: It's exactly the same as the Kraken I saw on TV before. It disappeared immediately after being defeated, which means that this monster is a product of Superpower!

From this perspective, the Mutant's Superpower to summon this monster seems to be the ability to summon such legendary monsters?

However, with Chimera defeated, Xiao He also lost his Superpower and fell from mid-air into the sea...